'Create Cleric' Ritual

[mach1.9pants]

Having skipped most of the fluff with my first (20 odd) read throughs, I am now going back and inwardly digesting the PHB in it's entirety. One thing that has come up, and is making my DM senses tingle is the 'Create Cleric' ritual.
While the ritual is not listed in the ritual chapter, clerics can only use their powers once a ritual is used on them, to get this ritual you must be the same alignment as your deity or unaligned. Once they have those powers (and can change your alignment I guess, I have seen no rules for this) you can do what you want with those powers.

As a cleric, your Deity does not directly grant your powers. Instead, your ordinition or investiture as a cleric grants you the ability to weild divine powers. Clerics are usually formally ordained by existing clerics who perform a special ritual to do so, but on rare occasions a Deity moves to directly ordain a worthy worshipper without any sort of priestly hierarchy involved. What you do with your powers once you are ordained is up to you, although if you flagrently and openly defy your Deities tenets, you quickly earn the enmity of the faithful.

That is licence for all sorts of fun and corruption in my campaign. Especially with no detect alignment spells and stuff..what fun can a DM have with that. I have always liked Eberron's corrupt cleric idea and this is even better IMO.

And although Paladins initially must be the same Alignment of their Deity they too are made by a ritual and ceremony.

So apart from the corrupt head priest subverting his church or the cleric of a good god going all 'spanish inquisition' on any who disagree with him or ....... what ideas do you guys have with this?

 

[Boarstorm]

This thread isn't what I was expecting (panic, outcry, death).

I haven't really looked at it from a DM's standpoint, yet. I've been thinking what it means for players -- and keeping players in line.

I do like the idea that I saw somewhere of another deity kind-of stepping into the battery role without the cleric ever knowing.

"Oh great Pelor, I know your will is unknowable, but ... why did your last envoy appear as an undead glabrezu?"

This can lead even further, with the cleric coming to believe his god has been corrupted or turned evil or something, and going on a crusade to slaughter his fellows who still follow the "corrupted" deity.

Hmm, that wasn't as coherent as I'd hoped, but hopefully the idea came through.

 

[Zurai]

This is one of the things I like about 4E. It reminds me of how priests and paladins work in one of my favorite fantasy series (The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon).

 

[mach1.9pants]

@ Boarstorm: I get ya and I really really like that idea. Making your PC Cleric go bonkers trying to figure out what who or whatever is right and is he actually following the Deity he thinks?

@Zurai: Not read it, will add it to my massive list of books to read if you recommend. Just moved onto Steven Erikson on an ENW recommend and lovin it

 

[Boarstorm]

Just moved onto Steven Erikson on an ENW recommend and lovin it

... how odd. There is no part of that sentence that does not also apply to me.

Do you live in my head, mach1.9pants?

 

[Zurai]

@Zurai: Not read it, will add it to my massive list of books to read if you recommend.

I absolutely recommend it. That trilogy has defined how I view Paladins since I first read it long ago. They're treated differently than I've seen them anywhere else, but it just resonates with me. I try to read all three books in the series at least once a year. You can get the entire trilogy in a single trade paperback volume nowadays.

 

[Doc Eldritch]

I have to agree with Zurai, it is an EXCELLENT series, and now that I think about it, clerics and paladins now do actually have some of the same flavor!

The paladins from "The War God's Own" by David Webber are another one that has a certain DnD flavor to me, and while they are more hands on than 4e ones are, are still pretty interesting (also a good series to read, I think, lots of fun ideas in it. Plus you can check it out for free on Baen's website (they have the first part of the Paksenarrion series there too).

 

[Particle_Man]

The only control on rogue clerics seems to be the rest of the clergy/faithful hunting them down.

Although perhaps the relevant god might send authoritative dreams to the true believers to hunt down the false cleric, but that is more a rp answer.

 

[Lord Sessadore]

Well ... the clergy or faithful hunting down rogue clerics is an RP answer too. Nothing mechanical that says "if you do X, the rest of the followers gang up on you." Just sayin

 

[Boarstorm]

Although perhaps the relevant god might send authoritative dreams to the true believers to hunt down the false cleric.

Don't forget the hordes of bloody-sworded angels.